Cafe Cubano
by The BestChaser
Summary: Short one-shot. Eric gives Calleigh a lesson in making the proper Cuban coffee; throw Tim Speedle into the mix and the usual teasing ensues. Set in S1-2


**Very short little one-shot that came to my mind when reading so many fics including the 'cafe cubano'. Thanks to Wikipedia for explaining in so much detail how you make the proper brew. Enjoy!**

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><p>Eric lifted the small cup from the top shelf in the cupboard. He was good at hiding his things up there, since he was one of the tallest people working in the lab. It had gotten late last night, and after barely six hours of sleep, there was only one thing that would wake him up. He filled his special Cuban coffee powder in the coffee machine and used the time it took the machine to heat through to grab his light brown sugar. Expertly he measured the sweetener with his teaspoon and dropped it in the small cup before letting the steaming dark liquid mix with the golden granules. The delicious scent of the coffee engulfing the sugar reached his nose and hit all his senses, triggering a satisfied grin that spread across his face.<p>

"Hmmm, I can smell that it's special coffee day. Long night?" He chuckled at the person that just appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, actually," he commented and turned towards her as she walked further into the room.

Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and her make-up was immaculate as always. Ever since he had met her, she had never seemed to let go of her carefully guarded appearance, always protecting her feelings and inner thoughts. It had taken him a while, but he believed that she was different with him. They had become best friends over the years, and a bond of deep trust ran between them. She had seen him in nothing but his boxers, and they had shared a bed when she had been wearing shorts and a tank. They could laugh together one minute and be serious the next. Now as she stepped closer to take a sniff of his coffee, he could see an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Now, you've never told me what your 'coffee Cubano' is exactly."

"Well, it is very special. It's an traditional, strong Cuban coffee powder that's grown on the island, it tastes different then all the others. It's a highly concentrated and sweetened with special light-brown demerara sugar." He had his eyebrows raised and looked down at her over his imaginary glasses like a professor looked at his student and she laughed, wiggling her eyebrows in return.

"Oh, so it's just a fancy espresso," she teased, knowing that her comment would scratch his Cuban ego.

"No, not at all! The secret is in the beans as well as the _preparation_." She raised one eyebrow, daring him to go on. He sighed. "Look, an ordinary espresso is brewed with traditional espresso beans and sweetened afterwards. A proper Cubano, however, is very special. First, you measure your brown sugar in the small cup and mix it with a couple of teaspoons of coffee to form a smooth paste, then you mix it with the rest of the brew. The paste will create a beautiful _espumita, _a foam layer on the top."

She stared at him unbelievingly, transfixed at the cup in his hand. He held it up, daring her to try. "Here, want a taste?" She seemed hesitant at first and looked back and forth between him and the cup.

"I'm not sure, Eric. What if Tim's right and it does fry my insides or something?"

"Come on Calleigh, would I do that to you? Plus, what does Speedle know with this soupy brown stuff he drinks every morning. I wouldn't call that coffee; looks almost like tea to me."

"I…I just-" she stammered, but he interrupted her, his voice laced with a hint of frustration.

"Really, it's just espresso, and you've had that before."

She smirked triumphantly, looking up at him with her innocent eyes, and he realized his mistake. Groaning slightly at his stupidity, he opened his mouth to speak, but she was faster.

"I thought it wasn't anything like espresso?" She smiled and he rolled his eyes.

"Will you just try it?" He held the cup in front of her face and she gingerly took it from his hands, her fingers brushing his ever so lightly and he had to fight back a shiver that ran down his back.

She lifted the cup to her lips and slowly took a sip, her eyes never leaving his, and a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips, causing these cute dimples to appear on her cheek. He was transfixed and stared at her as she swallowed the sugary liquid and licked her lips, handing the cup back to him. He raised one eyebrow at her, demanding her opinion, and she just smiled.

"Best espresso I ever had," she answered and he rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"Alright, fine. You win. From now on, it's my special _espresso_ Cubano."

"Told you," she said sweetly and smiled at him once more, enjoying the early morning banter.

They didn't get this opportunity often, since Speedle was with them most of the time, and his sarcastic remarks added a hilarious factor to their conversation, but it usually killed every flirty spark between Eric and Calleigh before it even began. As if on cue, Tim entered the break room and stared at his colleagues, who were standing barely two feet apart with a small coffee cup between them on the counter.

"Uh, sorry to crash the party," he mumbled, his usual grumpy self.

Eric and Calleigh instinctively took a few steps away from each other and looked at him. Tim couldn't help but notice the slight annoyance evident on their faces. What the heck was going on? Suddenly, a familiar smell hit his senses and he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Oh God, Calleigh, don't tell me that you actually _drank_ that stuff? It's poison!"

"Actually, Tim, it's delicious. You should try it!" Calleigh smiled at him and he shook his head at her usual, happy attitude. It was definitely too early in the morning for him to put up with her overly chipper attitude.

"No way, keep that stuff away from me. He made me try it once before and I almost lost my taste buds then, so I'd like to keep the rest, thank you very much."

"Suit yourself." She shrugged before lifting the cup to her lips once more. Eric was watching her with a smirk on his face, turning towards his other friend with a triumphant look on his face.

"You know what, that smell is making my nauseous, I'll be in Trace." Speedle left the break room without a backward glance, and Eric and Calleigh shared a look, before bursting out laughing.

"We successfully bullied him out of the break room." Eric smirked at her again and she winked, pushing away from the counter she had been leaning on and making her way over to the door as well, only turning back after a few steps to speak to him.

"You coming? We better go up."

"Just a minute, I can't let this coffee go to waste."

"Of course not. I see you up in five. Oh, and Eric? Thanks for the espresso." She winked again before turning around and Eric just shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips.

He watched her walk along the corridor before she disappeared around the corner, and he couldn't help but notice the extra spring in her step or the slightly exaggerated sway of her hips.

Smiling to himself, he gulped down the last drops of coffee, making a mental note to make the _espresso_ more often.

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><p><strong>That's it, just felt like writing some light humour for a change. Let me know what you think!<strong>


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